Whether he tattoos (or paints) alone or together with his girlfriend Ana Juanita, this German tattoo artist – with Italian blood flowing through his veins – is here to amaze our eyes and tickle our imagination.
Marcus, I know your middle name is Giuliano. So you have some Italian blood in your veins, right?
Yes, right I am half Italian from my mother’s side. She is from Salerno in southern Italy and that makes me partly a “meridionale guy”, I guess.
Do we want to explain to our readers what kind of style is yours? Too simple to say “Abstract”, “Realistic”, “Contaminated”, purely Black and Grey etc.
I think the terms you used summarize quite well the formal aspects I’m working with. In the end, it’s more of a spectrum with different key components.
I really adore gloomy aesthetics, which I try to show throughout all my work.
I’m drawn to both the random and the planned/structured — and perhaps what I’m trying to do is bring those two elements together. By the way, there are also some conceptual differences within the motifs themselves.
Let us understand better…
Well, when I create those writings, I have more of an industrial and cold aesthetic in mind, compared to, for example, when I design a skull — which, in my opinion, feels more organic and warm. But no matter the stylistic nuance within my range, there’s always one important question I ask myself: Would I wear the tattoo I’m creating for my customer myself? A sort of personal “is it good enough?”
How do you continue your collaborations with your partner Ana Juanita? Where does a Marcus tattoo end and one of Ana Juanita begins, if we can talk about your art in these terms…
We have a few collaborations in the making and also did some in the past as you already know. What I personally try to achieve in collaborations is reaching a point where you can’t even tell who did which part. Ideally, the elements should morph into each other so seamlessly that, as a spectator, you don’t really see a clear beginning or end to anyone’s contribution.
In my opinion, our parts are still too distinguishable from one another — but I guess that’s also what our clients expect when we do collaborations. On that note, I think Hanumantra (IG: @hanumantra) and Gordo are doing an amazing job with their joint work. Their collaborations really embody what I mean when I talk about my ideal version of a collaboration.
Do you think that in your case we can talk about tattoo art or 100% art? Is it the skin of others that amplifies your artistic vision or would paper or canvas be enough to do this?
To be honest, I have my difficulties with the term “art” or “artist” as at least in my experience it’s used in a very elitist context.
We as tattooers provide a service.
This, of course, is something we do within a certain style, which I have to adapt to the medium. Skin, the human body, is a unique medium with its own characteristics, to which I have to adapt when applying a design. The same applies to paper or canvas. I’ve found that my style changes or adapts depending on the medium I’m using.
For example, if you look at my paintings, there’s a particular style in the way I execute them — which then shifts again when I do a drawing, and so on. At least, that’s how I interpret it.So to answer your question: I’d say the medium plays a big role in shaping the final outcome. Yeah — for me, it’s really about the medium and the possibilities it offers.
If you had a time machine, do you think you would use it? Would you travel to other eras or are you happy to live in 2025?
As I think that the human mind is not made to handle such kind of power I think I wouldn’t use it. But if I had to, I would probably travel to the 80s or early Nineties and the accordingly places and cities to witness the beginnings of what we know today as the whole industrial/goth/wave/apocalyptic folk movement or better said genre.
Can you tell me a little about your private tattoo studio (or better said “Atelier”) in Waiblingen, in the South West of Germany?
In 2020, my fiancée (IG: @anajuanita777) and I opened our private studio. It’s a very quiet space with minimal traffic. There’s basically my room and Anna’s room — separated, but still close enough for us to communicate and have each other around.
The calm atmosphere in the shop helps us concentrate better and for longer periods, especially since we both usually work on large-scale tattoos.
I have the impression that the atmosphere we’ve created in the shop helps our customers dealing better with the pain… or at least that’s what I am hoping! (smiles)
It’s not just a workspace for tattooing — we also use it for drawing and painting, and as a kind of showroom for our artworks and objects. For example, I’ve designed mannequins and concrete spray cans that I’ve drawn on…
And your last famous words are… ?
Thank you for reading that far and showing interest in what I do!
Read here our interview featuring Marcus Stolz & Ana Juanita
